


Take It Slow

by troubledsouls



Category: Fall Out Boy, My Chemical Romance, Panic! at the Disco, Twenty One Pilots
Genre: Abuse, Child Abuse, Child Neglect, Slow Build, read at ur own risk this will get. Dark
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-06-16
Updated: 2016-07-06
Packaged: 2018-07-15 11:02:38
Rating: Mature
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 3
Words: 1,855
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7219798
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/troubledsouls/pseuds/troubledsouls
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Josh joins a completely anonymous group, which is mostly a support for victims of abuse.</p><p>
  <i>Please don't make any sudden moves</i>
  <br/>
  <i>You don't know the half of the abuse</i>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. you never know the murderer sitting next to you

Josh slips on the medical mask and sunglasses that don't quite cover the shiny bruise on his left cheekbone before slowly walking up to the door. 

There's a boy who must be younger than Josh, eyes shadowed with makeup of a sunset and birds flying across it. He steps in front of the door. “Who do you know?”

Josh holds out the note that had been slipped into his locker. “It’s signed by soul punk.” The note also carries the instructions. 

The boy takes the folded piece of paper and opens it, scanning the neat handwriting. “You can come in.” He hands the note back to Josh and opens the door. 

Josh steps inside the room, and then the door shuts. 

There's a circle of chairs, half filled with people. All the visible eyes flicker to him, and he guesses the ones covered by masks and sunglasses do too. 

He sits in an empty chair. On his left is someone in a ski mask, medical mask, and sunglasses. They're also wearing long sleeves and gloves. No part of their skin is showing. On his right is someone in just a medical mask. Their eyes are welcoming. 

Josh's anxiety is burning in his stomach. He's pretty sure he's going to throw up. 

The door opens again and the boy in the bird makeup steps in. The door shuts, and then there's a click of a lock. Josh's hands are shaking violently, as well as his entire body. 

The boy moves to stand in the center of the circle. “Since we have a newcomer, I'm going to state the rules, and then everyone will say their alias.” Bird makeup boy takes a deep breath. “Rule number one is no sudden movements of any kind. Rule number two is no raised voices or loud sounds like stomping or hitting things. Rule number three is no touching anyone without their permission. Rule number four is no curses of any kind. Rule number five is no interrupting anyone while they're speaking. Rule number five is that if you know someone’s identity outside of this group, you do not bring it up to them. Is that clear?” He's looking at Josh. 

Josh nods. 

“I'll go first with my name. It's Downpour.” Downpour sits down next to someone also in makeup. His is like a harlequin. 

The person to the right of Josh speaks first. “Mine’s Brobeck.”

A person with their eyes taped over. “Hal.”

Someone with deep shadowed makeup around their eyes and a medical mask. “Romance.”

A short boy, also with a medical mask. “Chemical.”

A girl with high pigtails and blue makeup resembling tears, as well as thick blush and lipstick. “Crybaby.” Josh swears the person completely covered flinches.

The boy with harlequin makeup. “Disco.”

Someone with sunglasses and a bandana tied around their mouth. “Arma.”

A boy in sunglasses. “Soul Punk.”

The person completely covered. “Heathen.” There's something about their voice that sends chills down Josh's spine. 

He swallows nervously and speaks. “Spooky.”

Downpour nods. “Anyone who would like to speak, may.”

It's quiet for a moment before Chemical speaks. “I passed my biology test.”

Hal smiles wide. “I'm glad.”

Heathen twists his hands together. It's silent. 

“Spooky?” Arma asks. “How'd you get that bruise?”

Josh raises a hand to his cheek. “My, uh, my dad slapped me. Because I came home late. Even though I texted him and told him there was traffic and I couldn't get home by curfew.” He shifts in his seat. “Then I had to sleep outside. Which I'm used to, I guess, he just doesn't usually hit me when I'm late…” Josh trails off, staring down at his lap.

“My mom and dad hit me too. Just never on the face.” Heathen says quietly. 

Josh glances over at him. 

“I live with my dad.” Downpour says. “He's divorced. He spends all his money on alcohol, so we hardly ever have food.”

“That's what this group is for. To talk.” Romance says. “Sometimes we don't talk at all, sometimes someone rambles for an hour. It's for sharing, anything really, but it was formed because of the negative stuff.”

Josh nods. 

“Who do you know?” Arma asks. 

It's code for who recommended you. 

“Soul punk.” Josh says. 

“I saw the bruise on his cheek when he was at his locker.” Soul Punk says quietly. “I don't know what his name is.”

Josh feels some tension drain out of his body. 

The rest of the hour-long meeting is just talk, not about anything serious, just what the upcoming tests are, homework, stuff that Josh would talk about with his friend group. Heathen is the only one who doesn't really talk, only a couple words here and there. Mostly they just stare at their gloved hands, as if waiting. 

As the meeting disperses one person at a time, Downpour goes up to Josh. “Can I have your phone number?”

Josh recites it to him. 

“Okay. Are you able to be added to a group, or does someone go through your phone?”

“My mom goes through it randomly.” Josh says. He feels anxious.

“I'll get Soul Punk to give you notes, then.” Downpour smiles. “See you next meeting.”

Josh nods, and then exits the room.


	2. whyd you come you knew you shouldve stayed

Josh finds a note in his locker over a week later. 

_5:00. Be there if you can_

He's pretty sure he can. He just needs to ask his dad, which is the only thing that makes his nervous. His dad has seemed pissed lately. 

So when Josh returns home, he wanders to his dad’s workroom after discarding his backpack, anxiety twisting his stomach. “Hey, dad?”

His dad looks up. “What?” His voice is snappy, tense. Josh resists the urge to flinch and succeeds. 

“Can I go over to a friends house today? I'll be able to make it home by six thirty.” Josh feels like a taught wire. 

His dad gets up and walks over to Josh. It feels almost threatening. “And why should I let you do that.”

“We’re gonna play video games, maybe exchange some CDs.” Josh already has an excuse in his head. “It's Mark’s house. You know Mark.” Mark is covering for him. 

Josh doesn't expect the fist to hit his cheek as hard as it does. He falls to his knees, hand raising to the injury. 

His dad grabs that arm and pulls Josh up so that his body is stretched up, but he's still on his knees. The hard kick to the left side of his ribs that follows sends pain flaring up his side, and Josh thinks he hears something crack when he's kicked in the same place. He's not sure through the ringing in his ears. 

He's kicked again, this time in the stomach, then his arm is released. He stays in the same raised position on his knees, looking down at the floor. 

“You can go. Be back by six thirty.” His dad sounds disinterested. 

Josh nods and stands up, immediately dizzied by the pain in his side. He goes up to his room as fast as he can, ignoring the pain. He grabs the medical mask and sunglasses, a couple of his Relient K CDs, and then gets out of the house as fast as he can. 

He shows up outside the room an hour and a half early, CDs and disguise clutched to his chest. 

He sits down in the corridor outside the room, slipping on the mask and sunglasses. He rests his head against the wall and spaces out. 

He's slammed back into reality by a gentle shake to his shoulder. Downpour is looking at him, concerned. The bird makeup is slightly different. Disco is behind him. 

“What happened.” Downpour states. 

Josh blinks slowly. Reality is hard.

Downpour steps back and holds out his hand to help Josh up. “You're early.”

“I needed a cover.” Josh says. His ribs are hurting like hell. He doesn't grimace, doesn't make any face of pain. He's trained that away. 

Downpour nods. “Relient K is a good band.” 

Josh nods. 

“We've got a high turnout tonight. You'll meet some new people. Even Heathen’s coming, and he hardly makes two meetings in a row.” Downpour unlocks the door and gestures for Josh and Disco to go inside. 

“How should I tell you guys when I can come?” Josh asks. 

“Leave the note in your locker?” Disco suggests, bouncing into the room after Josh. “That's what Heathen does, and, um, who else?”

“Animal, Time, and Low.” Downpour says, smiling at Disco. “And before you ask, yes, me and Disco know each other outside of this. We started it, actually.”

Josh nods. He takes a seat, shifting so that there's no pressure on his injured ribs. They're probably just bruised or something, he’ll be fine. 

Now to wait.


	3. who have rooms of people that they loved one day

Hal is the next person to show up, eyes covered with blue masking tape. Josh wonders how she can see, before he notices that there are slits big enough to look out of in the tape. 

The next person is someone he's never seen before. They wear sunglasses and a bandanna, like Arma, but their hair is a different color and they're slightly taller. They nod at Josh before sitting down. 

Slowly people slip into the room. Two others that Josh doesn't know are there too, hands intertwined. They're wearing sunglasses, and they keep stealing short kisses from each other, like it’s the only time they can be together. 

Maybe it is. 

The last person to enter is Heathen. They sit beside Josh and appear to look him once over before speaking. “You're hurt.”

Josh swallows anxiously. “Uh…”

“I can tell. It's the way you hold yourself.” Heathen tilts their head slightly. Josh funds them a little creepy, almost non human. He has no idea what they look like. 

Downpour stands in the middle of the circle. “Do we need to review the rules?”

There's a chorus of soft nos. 

“Alright. Since there's a new person, can those who don't know him introduce themselves?”

The newcomer with the sunglasses and bandanna speaks. “I'm Animal.”

“Time.” One of the ones holding hands says. “And this is Low.”

“I'm Spooky.” Josh says. 

Downpour nods, then sits down. 

“Spooky’s hurt.” Heathen announces. 

All eyes turn to Josh. Anxiety rolls in his stomach. 

“I-it's nothing, really. I'll be fine.” Josh says, stuttering his way through his words. 

“Can I see it? Is that okay?” Heathen says. His voice is very quiet. 

“It's up under my shirt. If no ones comfortable, I…” Josh twists his hands together. 

“If you're hurt, Heathen should look at it.” Chemical says. “He's good with medical stuff. I don't think anyone minds. Do they?”

Everyone around the circle say no and shake their heads. 

Josh pulls up his shirt on the left side. There's a large bruise up his side. 

“Can I touch you?” Heathen asks. 

Josh nods. 

“Verbal confirmation, please.”

Josh swallows down his anxiety. “Yes, you can.”

Heathen gently presses his fingers to the bruise, and Josh flinches and hisses in pain. 

“Okay.” Heathen says. Josh drops his shirt. “I think you have a broken rib.”

**Author's Note:**

> As people guess who is who, I'll add them to the character list. It's not that hard, really, but I don't want to give it away.


End file.
